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A young African boy severely mauled by chimpanzees will undergo reconstructive surgery next week that may allow him to eat, drink and talk normally for the first time in two years.
When he was 6, Dunia Siboman was playing with his 4-year-old brother and a friend near Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo when they were attacked by a troop of chimps. The animals killed the friend, killed and dismembered his brother and left Dunia severely injured.
“His upper and lower lips were ripped off, his face was disfigured, he lost a finger and some of his right ear and had internal damage,” said Dr. Leon Klempner, founder of the Smile Rescue Fund for Kids, who brought Dunia to the United States for treatment.